Illumina appointed Eric Green, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, as its chief medical officer effective Feb. 2. Green succeeds a vacancy in Illumina’s medical leadership and brings 16 years of NIH genomics leadership, academic roles and recent consulting positions at pediatric and university medical centers. Illumina’s hire signals a bolstering of clinical and translational expertise as the sequencing giant pushes into diagnostics, spatial biology and clinical markets. Observers will watch how Green guides clinical validation, regulatory strategy and downstream partnerships tied to Illumina’s expanding diagnostic portfolio. Clarification: the Chief Medical Officer role typically oversees clinical strategy, medical affairs and translational validation of a company’s products.